WALTHAM – His stock as a prospect in the NBA draft rose this past season while helping Kentucky reach the national championship game.

Freshman forward Julius Randle averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Wildcats and became a candidate to be selected among the top 10 picks.

With the draft less than two weeks away, though, Randle is dealing with a report that surfaced Wednesday concerning his right foot.

According to Yahoo!Sports, Randle will need surgery following the draft on the foot, which was broken during his senior year at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Texas.

The 19-year-old Randle refuted that report Friday after working out for the Celtics, who would be interested in him with the sixth pick June 26.

“My foot’s fine,’’ said Randle, who went through an individual workout for the Celtics. “Everybody has their opinion on what they should do, but I’m pain free. No pain before, during or after (the session). I mean, I’m fine.

“(Surgery has) never been considered. I met with my own doctor and talked to specialists, some of the best doctors in the world, and they said they wouldn’t do anything with it.

“I probably wouldn’t be working out if I needed surgery. It won’t be an issue whether a team says they want me to have surgery or not. It’s a minor injury in the first place that I suffered in high school.’’

Randle, who had a pin inserted into his foot while in high school, took to Twitter on Thursday to shoot down the report he was going to need an operation.

“I felt the need to defend myself,’’ said Randle. “I usually don’t have to do stuff like that, but when I feel like people are saying stuff when I know it’s not true or when I know the story is kind of mixed up a little bit, I felt like there was a little unnecessary confusion.

“There was a need for me to speak on my behalf, no disrespect to (the reporter).’’

The 6-foot-9 Randle, who started all 40 games at Kentucky, can score in the post and from the outside.

The Celtics have him on their short list of candidates to draft, knowing he would add offense.

“He looked good,’’ said coach Brad Stevens. “Obviously, (he’s) a big strong guy who is very, very quick and light on his feet.

“I think he’s going to have, by the time it’s all said and done, NBA 3-point range. I think he’s going to be a really good player.

Page 2 of 2 - “He’s a very mature kid and works the right way. He’s a guy that’s going to be good for a long time.’’

Stevens downplayed the report about Randle needing surgery this summer.

“Everything looked fine from our standpoint,’’ said Stevens. “He was given clearance by our doctor.’’

Randle is listed in the group of players after top three prospects Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid.

He said he would like the chance to play for the Celtics after spending one season with Kentucky.

“This is a winning organization, a championship organization,’’ said Randle. “Kentucky’s the same way. They expect nothing less.’’

After Randle did his solo workout, the Celtics had auditions for guards Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State, Nik Stauskas of Michigan, Jordan Clarkson of Missouri, Gary Harris of Michigan State, Zach LaVine of UCLA and Elfrid Payton of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.